Fastening device.



H. B/ANDERSON.

FASTENING DEVICE. APPLICATION IILED MAY 7, 1914.

Patented Feb. 9, 1915.

1,127,5?&,

a snares Parana onnron HAROLD 1B. ANDERSON, F CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE WINTON MOTOR CARRIAGE COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

FASTENING DEVICE.

menace.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Fee. e, 1915..

Application filed May a, 1 14. Serial No. 836,947.

To all'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HAROLD B. ANnERson,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Fastening De-:

vices, of which the following is a full, clear,

and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to devices for separably connecting the front-ends of automobile 'tops to the upper edges of wind-shieldswhereby the tops areeifectually heldjn extended position. Top straps have been used heretofore for-this purpose, but they are unsightly, as well as inconvenient of use.

While thedevice of my invention is applicable to practically. any style of the foldingtype of automobile tops, it' is especially des gned for use in connection with those tops known to the trade as the one-man tops, or those which canbeextended orifolded by one person.

to provide a device of the above nature The invention has for its general object jwhich is composed of two interlocking members that are capable of easy connection and separation, one of which is adapted to be ca'rriedby the wind-shield of an automobile, "and the other by the top. r The invention further provides means whereby the members maybe positively locked against separation, which meansmay lee-readily actuated from within the-auto mobile for rendering saidmeans effective or ineffective;' and notwithstanding thefact that. the members may be positively locked 'against separation, a free and easy universal movement is permitted between them to compensate for the relative movement between the wind-shield and the top, thereby relieving the screws that hold the members in place, from undue strain.

In'the accompanyingdrawings, Figure 1 represents a vertical section through my fastening device, and includes'a portion of the wind shield and a part of the automobile top, the section being taken approximately on the. 1ine'1-1 .of Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is a rear elevationof what is shown in Fig. 1; Fig.

'- 3 is a sectional plan taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. Fig. 4 is 'a'bottom plan view of the automobile top; Fig. 5 is a View, similar to Fig. 1, of a modified form of the-invention; and" Fig. 6 is a detail common to both forms. f

Describing the invention by .;the use of reference characters, I'represents the front bow of an automobile top and 2 the cov'er .which is attached thereto by the tacks 3. Se-

curedto. the rear side of the front how 1 is a trip 4 which extends rearwardly over the top of thewind shield 5, the underneath surface of thestrip i beingspaced a slight distance above the upper surface of the wind shield frame 6, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. That member of my fastening device which fls carried. by the wind shield comprises a base; 7-'which is of channel formation and which is adapted to be placed down over the top of the wind shield frame and secured thereto by rivets8. Rising from the base 7 is aneck 9 that carries a spherical head 10 atLits upper end; the diameter of the neck being considerably, less than that of the that member of the fastening device which is carried by head. The rear side of the strip 4 is notched my fastening device, and this member is composed of a body portion 11 which has a socket 12 for the-reception of the head 10. A plate 13 is formed integral with the body portion 11 and is'set into the rear surface of the strip 4 where-it is securely held by the screws '14. Extending rearwardly from the plate 13 is a hollow, cylindrical boss 15 .which contains a plunger 16 that has a shank v '17 that extends rearwardly through an aperture in the end of the boss 15, Where it is provided with a button 18 whereby the plunger may be rotated. A spring 19 is infor the reception of the other member of terposed betweenthe rear end of the plimger 16 and the opposed surface of the boss 15,- and to'push the plunger 16 forwardly into engagement with the neck'9; and the and that one of the branches of -the slot is parallelto thelongitudinal axis'of the boss 15. This branch ofthe'slot is. formed, prefvention is the same asythatishown in Figs.

erably, in the 'top;. wall;of the boss 15. The

5 other branchpftli. slot. 21 extends at sub- "stantially right anglesfrom the side of the former branch and embraces about ninety degrees of the circumference of the boss.15.

It will be seen that-the transverse branch of the slot extends from the side of the longitudinal branchat little to the-rear of its forward end, whereby a-pocket 22 is formed; 7

and a similar pocket-. 23 isformed at the outer end of the transverse, branch. Thepurpose of the po'ckets; 22 and 23 will be brought out in the description ofthe *operation of the device. I It-'will be stated at thistimefthat "two of my locking devices are used in connection with an automobile 'Wind'shieldjand top, one being located near eachendiof the wind shield. Now, assuming th'a t jthe parts'ar'e in the position shown in the drawinggit'will be seen that the top cannot befi'a'ised because of the engagement of the headilQ'jwith the forward end of the plunger 16, and that the plunger 16 is not permitted to 'movea suf-' ficient distance to allow the head 10 tel-pass its protruding end becaus'e fof the engage- 30 ment of the pin,20 with the 'real'isi delof the transverse branch of the slot '21.}; lnjor'der to disconnect the parts, it is necessary" to" turn the button 18 until the pin 2 0 hasbeen removed from thepocketsj23,aridbrought ,35 into the pocket 22 thatisfformed' by the front end of the longitudinal'bfanch of the slot'21." With nothing to o'bstr the rearward movementof the pin 2,0,' thehead 10' may ride over the end of the phinger 16, 40 pressing the plunger inward, against the tension of the spring 19. a sufficient distance to permit of such action." Ordinarily the springlt) acts to retain the pin 20 in one or the other of the pockets 22-or 23 so that the 46 plunger 16 will not become turned by the jarring of the automobile-1". I

"It has been mentioned hereinbefore: that a universal movement is permitted b tweenthe members of the locking device. This is 50 obvious from an inspection ofFigs. lto wherein it will belseen that the two members form. in effect. a ball-and-socket joint,

' the plunger 16 being effected in no way'bv a forward or sidewise oscillation ofthe neck '9, and yielding enough to permit of a rearward Swinging thereof. I In the modification shown in Fig. 5, it

.will besee-n that a stud 24 has been substitilted for the neck 9-of the previous form.

This provides a very simple construction and is preferable when the frame of the wind-shield is made especially thick, as the one shown at 25. in Fig. ,5, for'the purpose of receiving the threaded end 26 of the stud the plunger.

1 tot, andI thereforeapplyfthe 's'amefreference characters tothecorresponding parts of" the two forms..

Having thus describe my..inventiqn, what I claim is v 1. Tn a device of the charac t eriset forth comprising "a" socketed in'ember having a guidewayat substantially right angles to the axisof the socket,ifan=enteringmember that is adapted to berec'eived by the socket and consisting of a neck and a spherical 'headj carried therebywhich is'c'apable of oscillation withrespect to the'socket, a planger within the aforesaidgu'i'dewaythat is I arranged to be. projectedinto thesocket'" in a'position to be engagedby the head of the entering member, and means for preventing the retract on of said plunger,

' 2. A, device of the char acter set forthco'mprising a member havingia socket and a bore that extends at substantially right angles therefrom'the sidewall of the bore having asubstantially L-shaped slot, an entering member that isadapted to be received bythe socket and consisting of a neck and a substantially spherical headcarried thereby which is capable ofoscillation within the socket,a* plunger Within the aforesaid bore of the receivinginemberpa spring that acts to force the plunger. toward the neck of the "entering member, and a pin that proiects from the side of .the plunger into the afore said L-shaped slot-which when occupying against retraction. a

'3. A device ofythe character set forth comprising a member having a socket and a bore that extends therefrom atsubstantially .right angles, the side wall of jthe bore having a substantially L-shaped slot, anentering a ne branch of said slot locks said plunger member that is adapted to belreceived by the socket and consisting of a" neckand a substantially spherical head carried thereby Which is capable of oscillation within the socket, a plunger withinthe aforesaid bore of thereceiving member, a spring that acts to force the pl-u'nger toward theneck of the entering r n'ember,.a pin-that projects from the sideofthe'plunger into the aforesaid L- shaped slot which; when occupying one branch of said slot "locks said plunger against retraction, and means for turning 4'.-A. de vice'of the character set forth comprising a receiving member having a socket and a bore that extends therefrom at substantially rightangles, an entering mem-. her that. consistsj of a neck and a; substantially spherical head carried thereby that is adapted to bereceived by the socket, a' plunger within the aforesaid bore that is ar- In testilnony whereof; I hereunto afiix my ranged to be projected into the socketfin a signature in the presence of two Witnesses. position to be engaged by the head 0 the entering member, a spring Within the bore HAROLD ANDERSON that acts to force the plunger toward the Witnesses: Y entering member, and means locking the W. A. WALKERMYERB,

plunger against retraction. WI-HTTERBERGER, 

